THE NEXTDDS Student Ambassador Blogs

Switching over from simulation
clinic to clinic has been a whirlwind of change. I was quick to learn that I
could not use my patient’s head and upper torso as a place to rest my
instruments and hands as I once did with my manikin. I also learned that ideal
preparations are hard to come by. My patients don’t have the same ability as my
manikin to open wide and keep their tongue out of the way of my hand piece. I
also learned that I could not just begin any procedure without receiving proper
consent from the patient. Switching over from simulation clinic to clinic has
added the entire aspect of patient interaction, a component of care that cannot
be learned from a text book and differs from patient to patient. It adds an
entire new dimension to dentistry and is what makes the field so great.

One of the most rewarding and
enjoyable parts of this transition has been presenting a treatment plan. When
composing a treatment plan, it is done with the patient’s needs and wants in
mind. However, I never thought that I’d have difficulty presenting a treatment
plan to a patient. Although most treatment plans are accepted without question
or concern, there are some that require a little extra effort to get the
patient on board. Recently, I have realized that every treatment plan needs two
components before the patient accepts the plan. It must address the patients
concerns and chief complaints, and it must show urgency.

Before getting into specifics of
which type of cleaning a patient needs, or fillings and crowns, I have always
made it a point to address the patient’s chief concerns first. If they are
seeing us for a specific reason, they want their concerns addressed. In some
cases, it is a lot easier than others. If a patient is in pain, we address to
relieve them of their pain before doing any other work. In cases where patients
address an elective procedure, such as teeth whitening, to be their chief
complaint, it is important to preface the plan with addressing that problem, but
showing them the benefits of going through with whitening when we find it
appropriate.

The next most important thing while
presenting a treatment plan is to show its urgency. It is important to add
value to our work. If a patient does not feel pain, they are less apt to get a
small restoration they need. Explaining the prognosis of the specific treatment
with the use of visuals helps the patient understand and see the importance of
specific treatment.

In the future, we may have other
staff presenting treatment plans, but while in school, it’s in our hands. If we
address patient concerns and add value to what we wish to do, we are more
inclined to get patients that are more involved and willing to go forward with
treatment.